What 
The museum calls itself the UK’s largest bus museum. The 45-acre former naval stores depot, which is in Lathalmond by Dunfermline in Fife, comprises five large hangars plus several sheds housing around 180 buses. 
Opened 
1995
Collection 
“The museum showcases the history of the Scottish bus industry, being home to vehicles dating from the 1920s to the 1980s,” says Eddie Taylor, the museum’s membership and trustee secretary. 

Visitors are shown around the site using a vintage bus. The vehicles range from dilapidated to fully repaired and there are two workshops for restoration on site. “We do most of the restoring ourselves,” Taylor says. Vintage ticket machines and uniforms are also on display. 
Help at hand 
The museum is run entirely by volunteers, or “enthusiastic amateurs” as Taylor fondly refers to them. It has a management board of seven trustees and three committee members.
Highlights 
“The former Glasgow Corporation Leyland Titan double-decker from 1928, which has been completely rebuilt,” Taylor says. The bus was used as an ambulance during the second world war but then disappeared until it was found in the 1980s being used as a static caravan near Kent. Visitors can ride down the museum’s 100m-railway track in one of the steam or diesel locomotives on show. 
Budget 
The museum is only open to visitors on Sundays (£5 adult) so most income is raised through membership (£15 a year), which provides free admission and the museum’s quarterly magazine. Most of the buses aren’t owned by the museum, but the owners pay to keep them on site, which also boosts funds. 

“The size of the site is attractive for events,” Taylor says. This means the museum gains income from car rallies and other events such as the Scottish Truckmania days. 
Visitors 
6,000-7,000 a year.  
Sticky moment 
“Cables blowing up, pipes freezing in winter,” Taylor says. “The buildings on the site are very old so it costs a lot of money to upkeep and maintain the infrastructure.” 

There’s also an underground spring that means a large area on the site becomes too saturated for parking. Volunteers are yet to locate the exact source of the water. 
Survival tip 
“Advertising and PR,” Taylor says. Being on television shows has helped boost visitor interest. The museum has been filmed by the Scottish television programme Big Country and the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip. 
Future plans 
“Landscaping improvement projects are ongoing,” Taylor says. “We’re also investigating further accommodation for the vehicles.”